US troops in Kabul remember 9/11 and reflect on Afghan ‘progress’

AMERICAN soldiers in Kabul who witnessed the attack on the Pentagon paid tribute yesterday to victims of the 9/11 attacks.

“I remember throughout the devastation, throughout the horrible day, I remember that we still hung our American flag, and that is what I want to be written in the history books,” Staff Sergeant Alicia Watkins, 28, of Washington, DC, said after delivering an emotional speech at the main US base in Kabul.

The commander of US forces in Afghanistan, Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry, said political progress has been made here since the Taliban was forced out, and predicted that a recent surge in violence wouldn’t derail reconstruction efforts.

“Against this progress, Afghanistan remains the target of terrorists, Taliban extremists, narco-traffickers and a very determined criminal element,” Lt Gen Eikenberry said. “(But) we will not leave Afghanistan until the Afghan people tell us our job is done.”

President Hamid Karzai expressed solidarity with the US, and praised the sacrifices of America’s “sons and daughters” in rebuilding Afghanistan.

But on Kabul’s streets, many Afghans grumbled that they had not seen much improvement since the Taliban was ousted, particularly in terms of security.

“We cannot see many changes in our lives,” said Abdul Jabar, 43. “The salary of government employees is very low and the cost of living is very high. Thousands of people are jobless — even literate and educated people.”

Not everyone was pessimistic, however. Some said greater freedoms and improvements to infrastructure proved US-led forces were better than the Taliban.

“We shouldn’t forget that these (latest) achievements were all the result of the September 11th incident in New York,” said university student Ahmed Jawad, 23. “I was not hopeful five years ago, but I am now.”

Despite the continued presence of about 20,000 US forces fighting al Qaida and Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, and about the same number of Nato troops, and billions in aid, a resurgent Taliban resistance has shaken the country, while corruption has stymied development.

Mohammed Shafi Nadim, 29, a construction engineer, recalled hearing about the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York on the radio as the fundamentalist Taliban regime had banned TV. “I was surprised and shocked. I couldn’t believe that could be the work of Taliban and al Qaida,” he said.

But yesterday violence continued after a suicide bomber killed at least six Afghan policemen at the funeral for a provincial governor.

None of the several cabinet ministers present were hurt, but at last 55 people were wounded in the attack in Khost province, police said.

Hakim Taniwal, head of the southeastern province of Paktia bordering Pakistan died when a suicide bomber threw himself on the official’s car on Sunday. He was the first governor killed in several assassination attempts across the country since the fall of Taliban in 2001.